Cam help

[Chevy327slayer]

I have a crane mild cam and It works off the stock lifters, and I was wondering if it would work with roller lifters

Need help

[silicon212]

Originally Posted by Chevy327slayer

I have a crane mild cam and It works off the stock lifters, and I was wondering if it would work with roller lifters

Need help

No. A flat tappet cam has a slight angle to each lobe, as viewed from the side, the high point of which is at the rear of the lobe. This, coupled with the slight convexity on the flat tappet lifter, imparts a spin on the lifter to normalize wear, and it also thrusts the cam backward in the block.

Roller cams have flat lobes (again as viewed from the side), so as NOT to impart ANY spin on the lifter (if allowed, the consequences would be catastrophic). As such, the roller cam is retained in position with a 'button' or plate to prevent it from 'walking' forward in its bore. The flat tappet cam does not need this.

There are other differences, such as hardening of the lobes etc, but these two are the big ones. You must use a cam designed for roller lifters with roller lifters, and a flat tappet cam must be used with its type of lifter.